After many years of treating children Dr. Reby has come to the conclusion that adolescents and young adults have a greater capacity for creativity than adults, since they are still able to see life with a child's eye unencumbered by the realities facing adults. Their capacity for fantasy lacks ambivalence and they can be uninhibited more readily than adults. The need for fantasy is essential to the concept of discovery and finding one's own passion; however, that varies with the element of curiosity and motivation, which must be enhanced. by making these challenges exciting and fun.

Basically, there are an infinite number of paths that an individual can take as he travels his way through life. The idea is to find that path which represents his or her intuitive insight or passion. Once these elements have been discovered, the necessary academic links can be evident and can fall into place as a necessity to develop this insight. This technique has been called by Dr. Reby, as "socratopediacs", which indicates a method of extracting one's potential and, hopefully, leads to a creative endeavor. Any insight will supply the vector to one's passion.. Let me give you an example of my experience with a case of 3 boys I shall call Tom, Dick, and Harry….

These boys were seen approximately 35 years ago when a secretary asked me to see these boys who were quitting school and she had hoped that I would convince them to stay. They had been in difficulty at home, in school and in the community. Most of them had been failing everything. In the community, they had been involved with breaking and entering, theft, and alcohol and drug abuse. I asked them if they ever thought about the future and where they would be a few years from now. Tom said "rich and famous". Dick said just "jail, but OK after that". Harry thought he would be in construction, but not in jail. I then asked them if they ever thought about the future, the cars we would be driving, the clothes we would be wearing, the form of government we would have. Practically, in unison, they nodded and said "no". Finally, I said, "let's try this question….what type of clothing will we be wearing 50 years from now?" Tom said laughingly "I don't know and I don't care." Dick said "metal clothing." He seemed serious. Harry said in a very flat voice "big hats", then Tom laughed and asked "why big hats?" Harry said "to hold the machinery that would keep us cool in the summer and warm in the winter." Then, Tom added gleefully "and when it rains, you can pull the sides down like a raincoat." Before we could get into a discussion, the secretary at the school asked the boys to sign some papers so they could leave with their guardians or parents.

In retrospect, I regret that I did not take careful notes of these boys' proper names and addresses, so that I could follow them over the years. I also thought, "What did Dick think of himself visavie the other boys?" Was he sorry that he was leaving school where he might find links so he could pursue his ideas, or did he shrug his shoulders & walk away?" What did Tom feel about his contribution and how did Dick think of himself as he listened to his friends? Who learned more about themselves, Tom, Dick or Harry? We will never know, but perhaps, with the next three boys, I will learn more about this technique of extracting the fantasies of adolescents. Fantasy is different from imagination or a dream. The "socratopaedic" technique differentiates the fantasy from the dream or imagination. A dream is linked to the unconscious and the reality of the dreamer. Imagination is linked to the experiential aspects of one's life and is also linked to the unconscious. Fantasy, on the other hand, has links to the collective unconscious with fewer links to reality. Fantasy is often used loosely as imagination but this distinction, as noted above, is paramount. The individual's curiosity into the issues, as noted above, is increased in the presence of peers and his ability to test reality. This technique I have designated as " Socratopedics" in honor of the philosopher, Socrates who committed himself to education and the thinking of his students.

The techniques of "synectics" and "socratopaedics" can be taught in the school systems, however problems arise when teachers suddenly discover that their poor students may appear brighter than their good students and the teachers are also vulnerable in that effort. Therefore, it is essential that these techniques should be approached by a "facilitator" who is devoid of emotional involvement, says little, and records what is being said, and comments later to an evaluator. The facilitator functions apathetically and in a non-contributory capacity. "Synectics" and "Socratopaedics" should be taught not only in schools, but also in detention centers for adolescents to promote constructive thinking, motivation, and curiosity thereby, reducing boredom and displacing some libidinal energy toward creative thoughts [sublimation]. All these techniques are designed to stimulate the students' fantasies and hopefully, they will find links to the academics that they are also responsible for in the school system.

Reading, writing and arithmetic are necessary in the early years, but in order to extract thinking at an early age, the authors recommend that, by the fifth grade, stories such as those found in Aesop's fables, have to be reviewed, since the ability to abstract is an intellectual effort, thereafter proverb interpretation should be addressed.

Education in the prison system should also be explored with synectics and abstractions in order to reduce boredom and excite curiosity. However, this is a more complex endeavor.